Spatial organization of firefighting deployment centers in Ardabil and providing a suitable model using multi-criteria analysis techniques

Dissertation for obtaining the master's degree M. A) )

Discipline: Geography and Urban Planning

Chapter One

(Research Design)

1-1- Introduction

Establishment of each urban element in a specific physical-spatial location of the city is subject to specific principles and rules and mechanisms (mechanisms) that, if followed, will lead to the success and functional efficiency of that element in the same place. Otherwise, problems may arise. The establishment of many urban elements is mostly subject to economic mechanisms and free competition, but for public services, fire stations are also part of this type of urban services. One cannot be satisfied with the mechanisms of the market, it is obvious that timely and reliable service delivery by fire stations requires, above all, their deployment in appropriate places that can reach the accident site as soon as possible without facing obstacles and limitations of the urban environment on the one hand, and with minimal negative effects on the lives of city residents on the other hand, and carry out firefighting or relief measures. Despite the fact that the existence of inequality in the standard of living among the residents of a city is not a new phenomenon in any of the world's cities, but in less developed countries due to the more obvious socio-economic differences and the emergence of sub-standard settlements and the spread of clustering, the spatial differences of the city have intensified (Abdi and Daneshpour, 2018, 37). The residence of low-income classes in places that are not attractive to other social groups leads to the concentration of poverty and this process leads to the separation of the low-income class from other social groups (Shah Hosseini, 1384, 158). The distribution pattern of urban service centers is one of the factors that cause different values ??of urban land and lead to the separation of human groups. Therefore, the map of urban planners in creating and strengthening social segregation and differences in the living standards of citizens is an obvious and undeniable matter. Fire stations are among the important and vital service centers in cities that play an important role in ensuring the safety and comfort of citizens and the development of cities. It is obvious that the timely service of fire stations requires, more than anything else, to establish them in the right places so that they can reach the scene of the accident and carry out relief measures in a short time and without facing the obstacles and limitations of the urban environment on the one hand and with minimal negative effects on the lives of city residents on the other hand. Many factors are involved in the location of urban equipment, their comprehensive analysis by traditional location methods is not possible due to the large amount of data. On the other hand, not paying attention to these factors in the location of urban equipment has caused the waste of a major share of mother resources and the loss of a large amount of energy and human labor in cities. Therefore, it is necessary to use a powerful analytical tool such as GIS that can work with a large amount of data. 

1-2- Description and explanation of the problem

Following the rapid growth of the population and the hasty and irrational growth of cities, the need for public services and the rule of the market economy and following the principles of neoclassical economics, in which the competition in search of more profit causes a decrease in the share of public uses (safety, relief, etc.) and an increase in the share of residential and profitable uses. The need for government intervention and planning for the expansion of social justice and equal and balanced access to services for all people is a concern. In this regard, planners are trying to provide a suitable model of land allocation to the required uses of cities and their appropriate location in the city body, to ensure the welfare and safety of cities and the comfort of city dwellers and provide the possibility of a better life in cities (Valizadeh, 2014; 7). Fire station uses are one of the basic types of uses in cities, which will seek optimal location, safety and well-being of citizens. Focusing only on the construction and establishment of fire stations in terms of quantity and not paying attention to nearby uses and other important factors in their location will reduce the efficiency of the station in terms of providing timely aid. In addition to the issues mentioned in relation to the lack of fire stations, incorrect location and lack of coordination with the urban fabric and appearance are common issues and issues of many Iranian cities. In this way, by addressing the issue of location, a suitable place for the establishment of fire stations is selected so that in the event of an accident, the specialized teams of rescuers are able to go as quickly as possible to save the victims of the accident.. In this way, by addressing the issue of location, a suitable place for the establishment of fire stations is selected so that in the event of an accident, specialized rescue teams are able to reach the place as soon as possible to save the victims.

Equipments and facilities form the basis of urban settlements and their lack and defects cause problems for citizens. The prestige and importance of each city depends on these services and facilities. The better the provision of these services, the easier it will be to live there and the lower the cost of living there will be for citizens. If these services are in the right places and are sufficient, the economic and time costs of the residents will be significantly reduced, and this requires scientific and expert research and exploration, which should be supported by various organizations and bodies. The ever-increasing and horizontal growth of cities along with the increase in their population has caused the price of urban land to rise, their vertical growth and the increase in urban population density. The disproportionate development of cities along with this unbridled growth in recent years and the lack of attention of city managers to sustainable development creates many problems, especially for third world cities, and puts more responsibility on the shoulders of urban planners. The importance of principled positioning makes urban uses and services more obvious. Most of the location and location selection theories pay attention to industrial and commercial uses and consider production factors such as the market, capital, labor and the distance from the market to the place of production as the basic location variables and have presented special models by prioritizing one or more factors, while the variables affecting the location of fire stations are different from the variables affecting the location of industrial and commercial units in terms of type, number, and variety, and must be examined precisely (Goge and Parhishkar, 1381:98). Today, finding the right place or places to create an activity in a certain geographical area is one of the important stages of executive projects, especially at the macro and national level. The final locations must satisfy all the required conditions and restrictions, and failure to check these conditions and restrictions before the implementation of such projects will lead to many unfavorable results (Mehdipour, 2015: p. 44). Determining the location and number of fire stations in a certain area is perhaps the most important decision that the head of the fire department faces. Of course, the important point is that the optimal solution is the solution that minimizes the total damage caused by fire and the cost of providing services. One of the most important parameters in providing quality fire stations is the service delivery time of these centers.  The location of fire stations plays a very important role in reducing the response time to demand, and therefore, the optimal location of these stations at the level of cities is of great importance. In fact, timely and reliable service by these centers requires their establishment in the right places more than anything else. The city of Ardabil is one of the relatively large and densely populated cities of the country, which, due to the high population density and the development of the urban area on the one hand, and on the other hand, the selection of this city as the capital of the province and the occurrence of high accidents, there is an urgent need for optimal services of fire and safety centers.

The location of fire stations in a relatively large city like Ardabil has always faced many problems. The multiplicity of effective factors in the location of fire stations and the ever-increasing problems of urban life have revealed the need to use effective methods and computer systems in the location of fire stations more than ever.

1-3- Research background

Comprehensive and complete studies have been conducted on a global scale in the field of location of fire stations using geographic information systems. In February 2000, the fire station location project Virginia and Kansas, under the guidance of KurdiVita, was conducted with the help of GIS. In January 2004, Li Vie has used the genetic algorithm in the GIS environment to locate multi-purpose service sites.

In terms of the great importance of saving human lives in firefighting, many researches have been carried out in developed countries for a long time in the field of choosing suitable locations for the construction of fire stations. The initial researches in this case were based on choosing the location of the stations based on the level of service coverage provided by each of them (Guo an & Tang, 2008: 908)

In 1376 AH, Parhishkar, while studying the location selection methods and patterns, proved the ability of GIS compared to other models with a case study on the location of fire stations in Tabriz city.